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Monday, December 27, 2010

“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it”-Lily Tomlin

At the close of 2010, I'm looking forward to 2011 with much anticipation. I am so grateful for the opportunity you’ve all given me to share the things that inspire me, make me laugh, make me cry and make me reach for the "happy pills". Thanks to all of you for your friendship - I'm so very thankful that this past year brought each and every one of you into my world! I will see you after a few days of fun, family and goofin' off.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

So, I'm all a twitter cuz I'm in The Austin American Statesman today - on the front of the Lifestyles section even, yet, already!! And, what's even cooler is that my presence there has nothing whatsoever to do with my being dead, imprisoned, or part of a scandalous news story!

Freelance lifestyle journalist and good friend, Amy Gabriel, chose to feature me and my home in her new-ish series called Inner Space. According to the Statesman, it's a monthly look inside some of Austin's most stylish nooks and nests. How groovy is that? I'm stylish and I have a nook AND a nest! At least for today anyway! Many thanks to Amy, the Statesman, and the talented freelance photographer, Ashley Landis, who shot these photos.

And if you're interested, you can read the full story here. And you can get a sneak peek at the newly designed Vintage Laundry website here.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I don't remember exactly how long I was in the grocery store, but my presence there began on a road not so much paved with enthusiasm as sporadically littered with an enthusiastic resistance. This is my first, and most likely my last, time to be solely responsible for Christmas dinner. Being blessed with two aunts, a mother, and three siblings who are thoroughly marvelous cooks, I can say with a solid degree of authority, that I am a lousy cook. I spontaneously screw up the order and amounts of ingredients in cakes, of course, unless I buy them in a box and all I have to do is add an egg. I will, without thinking twice, serve a steak so rare that with a little help from a vet, it could recover. I cook so poorly I'm amazed my children and da Hubbs have not put in for transfers.

Over the years (45 to be exact) I have taken cooking as seriously as someone like myself could. I knew my motivation was rooted in fire-resistant menus; I wouldn't cook it if it was likely to burst into flames. Clearly roasting was out of the question, as was braising, sauteing, and everything involving a ladle. I've been thinking about our Christmas dinner menu for some time now, wondering what food items I deemed durable enough to withstand my underqualified, indifferent, likely-to-send-send-you-to-the-emergency-room-with-food-poisoning" culinary skills. And then it hit me . . . . we'll begin with cheddar whizzy shot straight out of the can into our mouths, along with little square Spam bits eaten with toothpicks a -la-the Rainman followed by fruit roll-ups and Altoids. But I had a hunch that the family might object. So, I closed my eyes right there in the snack aisle and shook my head like a Magic 8-Ball waiting for a different idea. I think it it is fair to say that I am often epicuriously lethargic.

The good news is that "fully cooked" has turned out to be the magic password for cooking for the holidays, just the way "let's get take out" would on a weekday or "there's no food in the house" works on the weekends. In theory, this should solve my problem . . . . . right? . . . . . well, I'll keep you posted. But in the mean time here are some marvelous food blogs that keep me laughing and inspire me to solve my "crappy cook" conundrum:

Friday, December 17, 2010

When I was a little girl, the second I heard and understood the definition of the word entrepreneur, I knew I wanted to be one. To me, it seemed the most cool, wayward, underground, and flat-out liberating thing there was. I wanted to own my own business immediately, largely because I had no idea what it entailed. I had no thoughts of cash flow or financial deficiencies. I figured that all an entrepreneur had to do was just raise their hand in a "please-hand -over-all-your-cash" manner as they explained their vision and passers-by would simple empty their pockets in an effort to support their spunky creative gumption.

Well, strange as it may seem, I wasn't far off. Because today I ran across a company called Kickstarter, whose basic premise stems from just that thought process. It's a fundraising website co-founded by Yancey Strickler and Perry Chen. The thing that sets this company apart from other crowd-sourcing ideas is the fact that it's an all-or-nothing situation. Here's how it works: You set a fundraising goal and a timeline that can stretch up to 90 days. Pledges are tiered, with each tier offering different incentives. If your project doesn’t reach your pre-set monetary goal in the time limit, nobody pays. If you reach your goal before the time limit, you continue to raise money until the time limit is up. The implications of this are that b ackers simply can't lose — if you can’t complete the project, they don’t pay. And if you can, they get both their tier award and the satisfaction of knowing they were instrumental in helping a dream come true. Kickstarter and Amazon have teamed to make payments seamless and safe. Amazon acts like an escrow service — if pledge goals are met, the pledges are automatically charged the moment the funding time limit is reached.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

There is no etiquette, no protocol for asking one's husband, " Did you by chance take a whiz on the bathroom floor this morning?" It's just awkward. This seems an obvious "good manners" faux pas, but there are certain aiming mis-judgments that polite society will permit. People have been known to miss the boat, miss the point, and one's heart might miss a beat, and we simply shake our heads, shrug our shoulders and move on. I mean I don't claim to be Emily Post or anything and nobody's perfect, right? All of us are only human after all. But, stepping in the contents of someone's bladder first thing in the morning is outlandish - and just a little antagonistic - it is sufficient to say that no one is prepared for being questioned about such matters. It's a far cry from "Is that your wet towel on the floor?" And besides all of that, who would own up to such a thing?

Luckily, before I could even put the question on the table I realized that it was not da Hubbs but our kitty, Eva June, who had sprung a leak. And being the opportunistic creature that I am, I would like to take advantage of this good segue opportunity . . . . So, I have another little leak to share with you about some newly posted inventory on my Etsy and "urine" for a treat! Ha! I sleigh me. Get it? "Sleigh" instead of "slay" - just a little bathroom slash Kris Kringle humor to get your Thursday goin', don't cha know?!

To begin with, I would like to show you this prissy pink perch in the photo above. How great would this reproduction Louis XVI style tufted chair look at a mirrored desk or parked in front of a glam-y French vanity. It has been re-upholstered in a marvelous pink linen with two inch diamond tufting and the wood work has been guilt with a gold paint finish.

Next on the list are these elegant reproduction French Louis XV carved side chairs have an arching crest above a cartouche-shaped upholstered back with a serpentine apron raised on graceful cabriole leg. The wood treatment is a satin white paint and has been newly upholstered in a silver grey damask blended fabric with a double welting that gives them an amazing tailored yet feminine feel. I can only image how marvelous this pair would look on either side of a sofa table in a dining room or as intimate seating at a romantic table built for two.

And last you could take this stunning set of (4) vintage Parson's chairs and have our studios reupholster it in a fabric of your choice. Because you know how I feel about customization in the home - I figure it's like couture in the closet.

I've been envisioning this set of vintage Parson's chairs around a Saarinen pedestal table or pulled up to a curvy French farm table. They each have a six button tufted back with a straight apron at the seat raised on sleek squared pillar legs. The present vinyl upholstery is stained and worn so, they will need to be reupholstered - each chair will need 2.5 yards of a solid fabric and 3.5 yards of a fabric that is patterned.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

You know how they say that procrastination is like masturbation because in the end you're just screwing yourself? Well, the only thing I have to say to that, is at least I'm the master of something.

Now, to be fair and maybe a little less inappropriate, I did accomplish one or two things that I'd like to share with you. So, in today's Retro Redo, I'd like to show the "before" and "afters" of a couple of vintage armchairs that our workroom has done.

I'll begin with this mid-century club chair that I had listed on my Etsy store. This handsome mid-century piece has great scale with great pieced button tufts on the back that emphasize its tailored silhouette. Even in its original velvet fabric it made a marvelous statement. But the fabric my client chose to re-upholster it in simply blew my mind. The piece finished up beautifully and though I didn't think it was possible, it is more gorgeous than before!

Another piece that proves my theory that customization in the home is like couture in the closet, is this great vintage reproduction Louis XV Bergere chair from the 1940s that I had also listed on my Etsy. It is a beautiful example of craftsmanship with its fantastic carving on the curvy french feet and arms. This client decided to guild the arms and feet and re-upholster in a lustrous chocolate pinstriped velvet. I think the results are spectacular and it is a simply sensational piece!

Monday, December 6, 2010

I have been trying for weeks to write about my plans for The Vintage Laundry, but it hasn't been easy, and for one simple reason: Redesigning the website and implementing new services and aspects to the business has taken up so much of life lately that I have had no time to sit down in front of the computer to post blogs.

I hate that I procrastinate. I absolutely hate this about me! If procrastination were dirt, I'd be about an acre - or maybe 40. If you're one of those people who is all together and perfectly prepared for all that life presents to you on a daily basis, don't even bother reading this because there will be nothing for you here. This is for people who put things off claiming that if you can't do tasks perfectly, why do them at all, those who are bad at multi-tasking, and those who feel that their disorganized houses, and their hopeless and chronic inability to finish their "to-do-list," somehow makes them less than.

There was, however, for exactly 10 minutes in 1993 right after the birth of my first child that I, LeAnn Stephenson, was thought to be the most on-top-of-things woman on the planet. It's true, just ask my breast pump. In any case, I would like to NOT procrastinate. I would! But every time I try to get all organized, something goes wrong and makes it impossible. I want to make sure I make this clear: Every time I try to get all organized, something goes wrong.

I have observed people who are overwhelmed by their "to-do-lists" (and are often procrastinators) - and I've also witnessed the parallel universe of folks who are freakishly efficient (but are often overwhelmed, as well.) I myself swing between the two universes, spending larger portions of time in the land of the overwhelmed slash procrastinating. I have periods of time being wildly committed to finishing my "to-do-lists" and being on top of my schedule; then some little glitch or fire ignites needing my attention, and then I spend time solving the problem and putting out the fire. Then I slowly make my way back to completing tasks in a timely manner, then something new and urgent comes up. So far, in the "urgent-must-put-this-fire-out" department, the past month and a half has managed the following: I have broken four metatarsal bones in my right foot, one right after the other which leads to visits to multiple doctors to see why this is happening and an oh-so-stylish boot cast to hobble around in; my internet provider has been malfunctioning making it usable only 2 out of every 7 days for quite some time now, making designing the website, emailing clients, posting blogs, and listing new merchandise a little tricky; My children, Olivia and Noah, both had birthdays and celebrations that had to be planned, invites designed, and parties to be had; extra pockets of time to be alloted for my daughter who is now driving here and there and everywhere to accumulate hours she needs to get her license; problems with damage and shipping on some of my reworked furniture pieces, causing loss of profit and general disappointment in certain people; and now I'm entirely destroyed by the imminent arrival of Christmas and all that that implies, not to mention that I can't perform the simple act of a hair flip to remove my bangs from my eyes without becoming a candidate for traction.

So, here's what I know now that I didn't know then:

• Take calcium EVERY DAY and make sure you have some Vitamin D with it so it will absorb properly.

• There are no brakes on the passenger side floorboard of my car.

• Stop doing what does not work - get rid of the things that work against you.

• Take more pictures and spend more time with family.

• It's okay to say, No.

• Keep your bangs trimmed.

• There are people will take advantage of me.

. . . and finally . . . .

• The Earth will not stop spinning because I didn't finish my "to-do-list."